AN UPDATE (3 March 2008):Hello,
Playmofriends ...
After looking carefully at all the hairstyles, clothing, etc. of Playmobil's
North American Indians, it appears that they really fit into only
three of the
nine groups:
The largest Playmobil group are the
Plains Indians. They were nomadic buffalo hunters who followed the buffalo herds. After the arrival of the European horses, they became very skilled horsemen. The
Sioux seem to be the best represented Indians produced by Playmobil.
The second largest Playmobil group are the
Southwest Indians. They were farmers and shepherds as well as hunters. The Playmobil figures representing the
Southwest Indians look somewhat similar to the
Apaches.
The third largest Playmobil group are the
Arctic Indians which Playmobil depicted rather well with their
Eskimo theme.
The
Northwest Coast Indians appear to be really only represented by their Playmobil
totem poles.
Unfortunately, I do not have any of my Playmobil Indians with me. However, if someone wants to assemble a typical Playmobil
Sioux or
Apache, I would be happy to make some suggestions as to which parts to use.
BTW, the politically correct terms for North American Indians, or Amerindians, are now
Native Americans for Indians living in the United States and
First Nations People for Indians living in Canada.
When I was a kid playing "Cowboys and Indians," there were almost no "Eastern Indians" from India living in Fort Lauderdale. So, when we took turns playing either the "Cowboys" or the "Indians," there was little chance for confusion. Nowadays, it does seem to make more sense to call our native populations by something that's more easily identifiable.
All the best,
Richard
